GRAVE
adjective
Synonyms
Solemn; sober; serious; sage; staid; demure; thoughtful; sedate; weighty; momentous; important. Grave, Sober, Serious, Solemn. Sober supposes the absence of all exhilaration of spirits, and is opposed to gay or flighty; as, sober thought. Serious implies considerateness or reflection, and is opposed to jocose or sportive; as, serious and important concerns. Grave denotes a state of mind, appearance, etc., which results from the pressure of weighty interests, and is opposed to hilarity of feeling or vivacity of manner; as, a qrave remark; qrave attire. Solemn is applied to a case in which gravity is carried to its highest point; as, a solemn admonition; a solemn promise.
Definitions
- 1. Of great weight; heavy; ponderous. [Obs.] His shield grave and great. Chapman.
- 2. Of importance; momentous; weighty; influential; sedate; serious; - - said of character, relations, etc.; as, grave deportment, character, influence, etc. Most potent, grave, and reverend seigniors. Shak. A grave and prudent law, full of moral equity. Milton.
- 3. Not light or gay; solemn; sober; plain; as, a grave color; a grave face.
- 4. Slow and solemn in movement. Grave accent. (Pron.) See the Note under Accent, n., 2.
Other Definitions
This word also has 2 other definitions:
GRAVE
(noun)
An excavation in the earth as a place of burial; also, any place of interment; a tomb; a sepulcher. Hence: Death; destruction. He bad lain in the grav...
GRAVE
(verb)
(Naut.) To clean, as a vessel's bottom, of barnacles, grass, etc., and pay it over with pitch; -- so called because graves or greaves was formerly use...
Added: October 09, 2025
Updated: October 09, 2025
